Participant Inc

Much like Paddy’s experience of the Whitney Biennial, New York’s art scene this week is dominated by the political with a healthy smattering of painterly painting, ubiquitous identity politics, and the unapologetically weird.

Highlights include a talk about “the intersectional self” at the 8th Floor featuring Genesis P-Orridge on Thursday, followed by a solo show from Dona Nelson at Thomas Erben Gallery. We’re looking forward to Ernesto Burgos’ work at Kate Werble Gallery (think ab-ex in 3D) on Friday night and some afro-futurist cyberpunk world-building by E. Jane at American Medium on Saturday. If you need a moment of zen before the work week starts, head to E.S.P. TV’s closing reception at Pioneer Works on Sunday—you can join them on a corporate retreat, complete with a self-help guru.

It’s quite a surprise that a film titled Pinochet Porn depicts a tender portrait of friendship. Granted, Ellen Cantor’s final film buries that theme under a shocking mélange of spank-heavy sex scenes, depressed clowns, descriptions of rape and torture over vintage Pepsi ads and disturbing archival footage of the Pinochet dictatorship, Hitler and September 11th. But looking beyond its violent and erotic imagery, the film is a celebration of a close-knit avant-garde community.

This became clear at the film’s premiere at MoMA on Monday night, part of the museum’s Modern Mondays film program. Playing to a sold-out theater, the screening also featured a post-film discussion between the Museum’s Chief Curator of Media and Performance Art Stuart Comer, Participant Inc.’s founding director Lia Gangitano, who appears in the film, and filmmaker John Brattin, who acted as Director of Photography. While this is common with MoMA’s screenings, it seemed particularly important on Monday. Firsthand accounts of the film’s production and posthumous completion, provided here by Gangitano and Brattin, seem irrevocably intertwined with any analysis or enjoyment of the film itself.

The New York Times profiles Participant Inc founder Lia Gangitano. Why can’t everyone in the art world be this cool? [The New York Times]

Want to spend over $3,000 on drawing supplies? Try the KARLBOX. It’s a collaboration between Karl Lagerfeld and Faber-Castell and it’s just as ridiculous as it sounds. [CNN]

Laurie Simmons made a film called My Art, which seems vaguely-autobiographical and really, really bad. [The Hollywood Reporter]

A Menashe Kadishman sculpture in suburban Tel Aviv, Birth, has become a bizarre site of pilgrimage for Orthodox women who sit on it and pray for fertility. They claim the artwork has mystical powers, which is probably one of the most unique public receptions to a piece of contemporary sculpture. [artnet News]

According to the rumor mill, the new iPhone won’t have a headphone jack but it will be waterproof. Are that many people dropping their phones in the toilet? [The New York Times]

A battery operated sculpture featured in a Kanye West video that features 12 naked pop stars and political figures in bed together including Taylor Swift and Donald Trump does not cost 4 million dollars. The sculpture, currently on view at Blum & Poe in Culver City, was early reported by the Times to be for sale, but now the gallery press representative claims the piece is not for sale. Unless, of course, the right buyer comes along. We’re just going to go ahead and speculate that West, a self-described genius, is waffling on the sales strategy and price. [The Los Angeles Times]

For those who thought that the Gawker suit was a one off case: Roger Ailes is hinting at a suit against New York Magazine for their feature on him and the long history of sexual harassment allegations that have followed his career. He’s retained Charles J. Harder for the case, the lawyer funded by Peter Thiel for the Hogan Gawker case. [Politico]

Because of heightened security surrounding the US Open tennis championships, the neighboring Queens Museum has decided to close until 9/11. This sucks. [ARTnews]

Iceland is home to lots of utopian-looking modernist churches. Combined with the stark landscape, these would be great locations for a sci-fi movie. [Dezeen]

Developers Henderson Land are building a 24-story building in Hong Kong with the goal of leasing to high-end gallerists looking for quality exhibition space. Hong Kong has a notorious property shortage, particularly spaces suitable for art galleries. The new building has high ceilings and a crane for moving artwork, and tenants such as David Zwirner and Pace have already signed on. [Financial Times]

Petr Pavlensky nailed his scrotum to the Red Square in protest of Putin. Now there’s going to be a Burger King meal about it.

Weirdest art news we’ve read in awhile: fast food giant Burger King is making a series of burgers inspired by Russian performance artist Petr Pavlensky for its Saint Petersburg location. Pavlensky is famous for nailing his balls to Moscow’s Red Square, setting fire to a government office building, and sewing his mouth shut to protest the arrest of Pussy Riot. He’s not exactly the type of political figure usually associated with international corporate junk food. [BBC News]

“Of the 40 galleries and nonprofits that took part in the first edition of the NADA fair, only 13 remain in business—Derek Eller Gallery, Fredericks & Freiser Gallery, James Fuentes, Galerie Zink, Inman Gallery, Moniquemeloche, Momenta Art, Taro Nasu Gallery, Participant Inc, Peres Projects, Kavi Gupta, Hiromi Yoshii, and ZieherSmith.” ARTnews tracks down what became of the first class of NADA, and the results are depressing. [ARTnews]

The news above makes us ask: what is the average lifespan of a gallery? Does it map to what gallerist and art fair founder Edward Winkleman once described as the average length of time an emerging artist’s work remains profitable for a gallery—seven years? [Art F City]

In other NADA news, the fair’s Miami Beach iteration is moving back to the Deauville this year. Thank God. Fontainebleau sucked the life out of NADA. [ARTnews]

Star Trek Beyond’s weird/desperate cross-promotion with Rihanna was pretty terrible. But for the film’s Chinese release, they replaced her with pop star Zhang Jie and an even more terrible track. His song sounds a bit like it was written by an algorithm in 15 minutes, which at least makes it a little more interesting that the U.S. brand of schlock. [Fansided]

People in one South Carolina apartment complex have convinced the local police that clowns are in the woods offering money to children and flashing laser pointers. The Atlantic seems to be the only publication wondering if some kids just made this bizarre story up. [The Atlantic]

Lisa Crossman discusses the state and importance of art criticism in Boston. It sounds like institutions get most of the mainstream press coverage, and the criticism that emerges from those institutions tends to focus on its own bubble. It’s a great read about the need for criticism in general. [Big Red & Shiny]

Starchitect Renzo Piano will lead the cleanup effort in Italy after their major earthquake. Amongst other buildings Piano designed the new Whitney building in New York’s meatpacking district. [The Guardian]

Can cities be too tall? According to most Londoners they answer is yes. Residents associate tall buildings with rich people and are increasingly voicing their opinion that cities should not be so dense. The anti-density movement is heating up. [Curbed]

An interview with artist, activist and Arts Advocacy Project Program Associate Joy Garnett from the Arts Advocacy Project at the National Coalition Against Censorship. She discusses Artist Rights, a new online resource that informs artists on their rights and what is and isn’t protected under the first amendment. [Creative Capital]

Even if you don’t know the name of the director or the glitter-covered club kid stars, you’re probably familiar with Tom Rubnitz’s viral video “Pickle Surprise.” With over two million views and counting, the Internet granted the East Village filmmaker a prolonged afterlife. (He died in 1992 due to complications from AIDS.) After inadvertently connecting with a new generation of YouTube viewers, what is the legacy of Rubnitz’s fast-paced, TV-drenched brand of cinematic camp on today’s filmmakers and artists?

This question was explored on Sunday, August 14 in a whirlwind of videos and films at the Anthology Film Archives, courtesy of a screening organized by Dirty Looks’ Bradford Nordeen. The videos ran the gamut from literal reinterpretations to subtle references to Rubnitz’s films. Barry Morse’s “Ookie Cookie” combined tropes from “Pickle Surprise” and its sequel “Strawberry Shortcut” into an obsessively direct tribute to Rubnitz’s queer psychedelic vision while Brice Dellsperger’s “Body Double 34” featured transgender models on magazine covers maddeningly lip-synching dialogue from My Own Private Idaho. Overall, Rubnitz’s lineage appeared in the form of copious drag queens, shocks of color, media-soaked imagery and an over-the-top hallucinatory style.

Fourteen artists including Tacita Dean, Anthony Gormley, Wolfgang Tillmans and Bob & Roberta Smith have created posters in support of keeping Britain in the EU. The series was commissioned by Britain Stronger In Europe. [The Guardian]

Related: what does the art market have to lose or gain in the June 23 referendum? Many agree that London artists and institutions would lose out on important EU funding and subsidies. Others believe that unnecessary EU legislation — like the artist’s resale right scheme, which was supported by artists but not the rest of the industry — has put the London art market at a severe disadvantage. [artnet News]

Participant Inc.’s founder Lia Gangitano receives a much-deserved profile, recognizing how she has, according to David Colman, “brought witty, raucous and challenging works to the art world’s attention on a modest budget.” Our favorite part of the feature is artist and performer Vaginal Davis’ comment on Gangitano’s collaboration with difficult artists: “I am VERY difficult…I have a disdain for the wealthy and privileged. I offend easily, and am ready to throw down at the slightest provocation.” [New York Times]

Yoga and controversial public sculptures don’t mix. The New York Department of Parks and Recreation is demanding the removal of the noose from Aaron Bell’s 16-foot sculpture Stand Loud, Stand Tall, which is supposed to represent, as Bell explains, “zero tolerance for any and all manifestations of hatred.” Slated to appear in Riverside Park as a part of the parks department’s partnership with the Arts Student League’s Model to Monument Program, the department became concerned because the park also holds “passive recreational activities such as yoga, pilates and senior movement.” [Artforum]

The shortlist for Canada’s Sobey Prize has been revealed. The artists include William Robinson, Jeremy Shaw, Brenda Draney, Charles Stankievech and Hajra Waheed. The winner will be announced in November, and takes home a $50,000 prize. [Canadian Art]

Following Paddle8’s merger with Auctionata, more than a dozen staffers have been laid off or left the online auction house. The departures continue with the exits of chief marketing officer Susan Cernek and Sarah Goulet, head of communications. [ARTnews]

How will they split the collection? Real estate developer Harry Macklowe and his wife of 57 years, Linda Macklowe, are ending their marriage. It appears Macklowe is leaving the former curator and current member of the board of trustees at the Guggenheim for his new girlfriend, Patricia Landeau, president of the the French Friends of the Israel Museum. The couple has a huge postwar and contemporary art collection; valued at $1 billion, it includes works by Franz Kline, Gerhard Richter and Mark Rothko. [artnet News]

Last month, the Senate Finance Committee sent a summary of their findings regarding the practices of tax-exempted private museums to the IRS. Julia Halperin obtained a copy of the report. Key findings include the fact that almost half the 11 museums surveyed — which includes the Brant Foundation, The Broad and the Rubell Family Collection — report fewer than 6,000 visitors per year, and none of them report loans of donated art back to the founders. [Art Newspaper]

Another gallery is fleeing Chelsea, however this time, they’re going to Midtown rather than the increasingly popular Lower East Side. Anton Kern Gallery, which has been in Chelsea for 15 years, will head to a new location on 55th Street, between Madison and 5th Avenue. The gallery’s Chelsea space was sold in 2014 to a condo developer for $24.25 million. [ARTnews]

What is left after a failed relationship other than a broken heart? A lot of random crap as the Museum of Broken Relationships shows in their recently opened Los Angeles location, which displays these previously adored artifacts such as a dinosaur piñata and a Betty Boop doll. The Museum was originally founded by Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić in Croatia as a way to deal with the “emotional collapse” of a breakup. [VICE]

Will artists become obsolete as technology advances further? Google’s newest project Magenta, which will attempt to create original art and music through artificial intelligence, certainly raises that question. [Hyperallergic]

Even after a lazy and steamy Memorial Day, the art world shows no signs of slowing down for the summer. Returning rested, refreshed and ready to go, this week is flush with performances from Itziar Barrio’s The Perils of Obedience to András Böröcz’s satire of artist’s practices, Leitz & Fuchs Escape Through the Chimney, toCayla Lockwood’s tasty Free*Sandwiches and the inimitable Yvonne Rainier at The Kitchen. If live performance isn’t your style, this week also boast openings like the sporty Children’s Museum of Arts’ Game On! and Sardine’s starry-eyed Space Oddity.

And since it’s June, kick off Pride month with Visual AIDS’ First Saturday panel Women, Art, AIDS and Activism at the Brooklyn Museum and Natalie White For Equal Rights at WhiteBox. Who knows? Maybe you’ll feel radical enough to follow White on her two-week march down to D.C. starting July 8.

Here’s what to do if you’re stuck in New York this week for the heat wave: Attend a lecture on the history of Goth; learn about modernity, architecture, futurism, and Star Wars at John Powers’s art talk; hang out at Prospect Park and pick up a few art mags at the small press flea. It’s summer, but as these events demonstrate, there’s still plenty to do.

With this job, you don’t always have a chance to write up all the exhibitions you saw and loved, so for me, the 2014 year-end review is a Godsend. It gives me a chance to give a shout out to everything I saw and loved. And this year, there was an awful lot of it. May 2015 be this bountiful and more.